Traction wheel



F. P. STEELE. TRACTION WHEEL.

FaLED APR. 29. 1920.

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ares PATENT OFFICE,

FREDERICK r. STEELE, or INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR T0 MIDWEST ENGINE QQMPANY, OF INDIANAPOLIS,-INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

TRACTION WHEEL.

application filed April 29, 1920. Serial No. 377,552.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that i, FREDERICK P. STEELE, a citizen of the United States, residing at lndianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and userul Traction W heel, of which the following is a. specification.

it is the object of my invention to produce a tractorwvheelrim, with grouters which give maximum traction and at the same time prevent sidewise slipping and permit operation over hard ground without bumping. I I

in the operation of tractors oncertain kinds of ground, especially in muck and sand, it has been found in practical eX- perience that a grouter parallel to the shaft has more traction than has an oblique grouter, as when an oblique grouter enters the sand it breaks the sand away and moves the sand a little at a time, thereby eliminating part of the traction. Yet a grouter 'iarallel to the shaft has no resistance against side slipping, and produces bad bumping when traveling over hard ground, such bumping often resulting in shaking the trac tor to pieces.

According to my present invention, I use grouters parallel to the shaft, but in addition to such grouters I provide a circumi'Ferentiul band set edgewise, and preferably located in notches in the grouters, which band projects outward beyond the outer edges of the grouters and serves as the tread on h-ard ground, and in soft ground acts to nrevcnt side slippin To prevent the caking of mud and sand between the grouters and under this edgewise-set band, I provide,

a space in the rim beneath such band, which very effectively serves this purpose and thus assists vin maintaining good traction and effective resistance to side-slippin The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention: Fig); l is an edge elevationof a tractor rim constructed in accordance with my invention, the upper part being in section the better to show the construction; and Fig, 2 is a side elevation of such rim.

The rim as shown is composed of two parts 10 and 11, which are spaced apart to provide an open space 12. These rim parts 10 and 11 are preferably provided, at least at one end, with inwardly projecting flanges clear from Fig. 2.

"13, for strengthening the rims and to pro ers 1d. The outer surface of the band 15 I is circular, and thus provides the wheel tread for hardground. The band 15 is conveniently made in twosemi-circular portions, the ends 16 of which are beveled and overlap and are riveted or otherwise fastened together, to make the band a complete circle.

The band 15 serves as the wheel tread to prevent bumping when the machine is traveling over hard ground. ,The band 15 also serves to prevent side slipping of the machine. The grouters 14 are set parallel to the axis, in order to give maximum traction. The space 12 beneath the edgewise-set band effectively prevents caking of the sand or mud between the grouters and around such band, as it allows the sand and mud to be pushed through and broken away from the wheel instead of becoming caked.

The hand 15 alsocuts or breaks any stalks, roots, etc, which it may run over, such as stalks of corn or cane. thus making it easier to plow them under.

I claim as my invention:

In a tractor wheel, the combination of a rim, grouters mounted on said rim, said grouters being notched, and an edgewise-sct circular band set in said notches and extending circun'iferentially around the rim. said rim comprising two axially separated parts connected by said grouters and providing an open space beneath said edgewiseset band. i

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Indianapolis, Indiana,this 26th day of April, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and twenty. I

FREDERICK P.v STEELE. 

